Happy Sweets
by K.E.Degz
Summary: The Happy Sweets bakery is a block away from To-Oh university. There are more than sugary treats baking in the ovens. AU-ish. L/OC. R


Light Yagami needed a break from being Kira. Two blocks from To-Oh University was a coffee shop and bakery that he had passed before, yet never gone into. Regardless of this, every passing step he took gave note to the sweet smells that seemed to radiate from the very bricks the shop was built of. Class had been cancelled that morning, and next class wouldn't be for another two hours or so. Feeling like avoiding the normal places he had been, he decided—for no particular reason—to visit this café for a brief snack.

Upon crossing the street, he noticed the little shop had frilly blue curtains in the windows, with the words "Happy Sweets" painted in script on the window. It looked a little overdone on the inside, but the smell was so intoxicatingly delicious. Well, he wasn't about to deny himself the simple pleasures in life.

"Liiiiiiight…" Ryuk's voice came. "Don't go in there now!" he said. "I'm so hungry—I want an apple!"

Light smirked. "I'll get you an apple later," he said, walking inside.

A little bell rang above the door. The display cases were filled with sweets of every shape and size, every flavor and texture. Cookies, tarts, cakes…the works. The tables were bare, but the chairs and booths were upholstered with various shades of yellow. Various patrons littered the café, all chatting quietly and enjoying the sweets. There was a long bar near the end of the display cases; Light sat himself at one of the stools.

"I'll be right with you!" came the cheery voice of a girl. Looking over and behind the bar, there was a shadow moving around what appeared to be the kitchen. All at once, she bloomed into the café holding a tray on her head, filled with various sweets. She was holding an entire pie in one mitten-covered hand, and a platter of cookies on the other. Her hair was long and black with loose waves, tied loosely with a sugar-pink ribbon. Her eyes were large and sparkly, and she smiled as she wobbled through the café.

"Okay!" She said, bending her knees to lower herself enough to serve the pie to a group of girls. "One chocolate-strawberry pie for you with…" She reached into the pocket of her pink apron. "three forks…" She wobbled over to another table with two students sitting together in a booth. "Cat-tongue sweets for you—I'll be back with some more milk and tea…" As she walked to the third table of grad students, she removed the tray from her head with her now free hands. They smiled and moved their books out of the way. "Egyptian licorice tea and thumbprint cookies for you!"

"Kaori, will you marry me?" asked one of the grad students adoringly.

"Don't you dump Shiori!" the girl admonished. "She's one of my best customers." With a wink, she was off towards Light, saying that she'd be with the professors in a minute. Her eyes sparkled brightly as she stuck a pen behind her ear. "Would you like to see a menu of our new specials?" she asked Light as she poured milk into a glass pitcher. Two glasses were soon filled.

"That's alright," Light said. "I can see the big menu fine from here."

"Oooh," she said, picking up the tray with the milk on it. "I like your voice. It's a veeeerry serious voice. Nice to listen to!" she laughed, bouncing off to the professors' table. Serious? Light thought. The bell rang again; Light turned around to see a hunched friend enter, biting his thumb.

"Ryuga?"

"Light-kun," acknowledged he, walking over to the stool next to his and perching. "You mentioned that you missed me at school, so I figured I'd get a change of scenery."

"You're not worried?"

"Since nobody here knows I'm L, I deducted that I'll be fine." His dark and sunken eyes wandered around. "You were hungry too?"

"I've never been to this place before, but everything in here smells very good. I heard a rumor or two about it," said Light. "It was something about a princess of sugar."

"Okay!" said the cheery girl as she came back behind the bar, drying her hands on a towel. "Oh, looks like a friend spotted you from outside?"

Light put on a smile. "Yeah, Ryuga and I play tennis together."

"But…" she looked the two of them up and down. "Tennis is a hobby—you're both actually academically-focused?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Do you know us?" L asked.

She shook her head. "No, sorry," she said, turning around and getting two cups down. "I would have remembered seeing you two. Or maybe I have…I only attend To-Oh part time so I can help out with the bakery." She looked up as she thought. "I have classes on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, mostly in the afternoon." As she spoke, she set down two cups filled with a steamy, frothy drink. It smelled of coffee, but was very sweet-smelling. "It's a chocolate coffee; bitter and strong, yet sweet… But enough about me, what can I get you two? Wait, don't tell me!" She said, holding a hand up. She looked to Light. "I'm good at this part." A moment passed before she spoke again.

"You get bored easily, or rather you were very bored for a very long time at some point. You believe in structure, due credit and punishment… My guess is that your major is under criminal justice. Apple-lemon tarts for you!" Without another word, she leaned over and pulled out a tray from the display case. Light blinked in question as she placed a golden-brown apple tart, shimmering with glazed sugar atop. "It's an apple tart with a lemon curd just beneath a layer of apple slices. Structured and seemingly simple, but with a sour surprise inside. Perfect for you!" She set it down in front of him with a little silver fork. "Go ahead, the first sample is always free!"

Light smiled and picked up the tart and took a bite as L slurped the chocolate coffee gratefully. The crust was firm yet buttery and crumbled just enough. Sweet and soft apples softened the tart lemon curd that hit his tongue like a pinprick. He looked up as the girl smiled, the flavors melting and meshing in his mouth. "It's delicious," he said, putting down the tart on the plate and licking his fingers.

"Good!" she said, taking a step so she could stand in front of L. She smiled. "Do you like my chocolate coffee?"

He nodded. "You have a talent for sweets," he said. "And a talent for assessments."

"Assessments? Oh no." She shook her head. "They're just guesses, really. I have a knack for guessing. It's a very simple game. They say 'you are what you eat,' and once you know sweets, you know people. My mother did also, you know." She refilled the coffee, pouring in dark chocolate to top it off. "Sugar runs through our veins, you see." Replacing the pot on the hot plate behind her, she leaned on her hands towards him to get a good look. "Now, let's see..."

"Ryuga is very complicated," said Light jokingly.

"I can see that," said the girl, narrowing her eyes. "I can also see that he eats nothing but sweets."

Light laughed. "She has you pegged so far. I'm excited to see what else she says."

"So am I," said L, staring at her blankly.

A moment passed before she spoke again. "You're a child prodigy," she said. "You like numbers and you've got a very unconventional way of thinking—but it's no doubt that you're brilliant. You have insomnia—no, you just think too much. You didn't really have any parents, but…you have a good idea of what a good father should be. You're also ruthless, and you work by toying with others' emotions. This is probably because nobody taught you how to deal with emotions properly." Light wanted to gasp, but he remained silent. "But look, your eyes are hungry and wanting for human contact. Even though you're highly respected by those you do know well, you've had little to no real friends throughout your life—aw, you poor sweet dear!" She said, standing up. "I think I have just the thing for you. It's cooling off in the back. Will you wait?"

L nodded. "Such a brilliant behavioral specialist... I'll do anything," he said.

"Haha, you're funny." When she disappeared, Light looked over to L, chewing on his thumbnail.

"She's very instinctual," Light said. "She would make a good detective." L didn't say anything. He was trying to keep their conversation light and casual, much like the custard in his tart. If he was too serious, he might give away something. The trick was looking like he wasn't trying hard to be casual. Just be a regular college student. A moment later, she came out with a very dark, very dense brownie-like cake on a plate. A single sliced strawberry served as a garnish that was next to it.

"Dark chocolate sesame cake," she said, setting it down. "A very intense blend of 85% dark chocolate--that means that there is 85% pure cacao in it--and sesame seeds ground together with cacao nibs…Plenty of egg yolks in here to make it nice and rich! Usually, I have to pile on whipped cream to balance out the taste, but you can handle it." L picked up a fork with his thumb and forefinger delicately as she spoke. "Dark, rich, complicated—not the prettiest thing to look at, but that's the idea. It's unapologetic about its complexity, and yet is so terribly unnoticed." She sighed. "I love complex sweets like these, but I rarely sell any, so I just end up eating them all myself..." bemoaned she.

Light watched as L ate—very slowly. Trying to make conversation, he looked up and said "I'm Light, and this is Ryuga."

"Ah, you two are the Freshman honors students who amazed the campus with tennis the other day!" she said. "I remembered hearing about that… Although I didn't realize that I would be so honored as to have you both here at Happy Sweets…" She smiled. "Well, I'm Kaori Maeda," she said, pouring herself a cup of chocolate coffee. "I run this bakery with my mother."

"You're well-informed," said L.

"Anybody who has every played video games knows that pubs are prime sources of information, and this bakery is just like a pub for college students. Things get around, you know?" said Kaori, taking a sip of her chocolate coffee. "My memory is good. I have to memorize many recipes and juggle ingredients in my head all at once… It's easy for me to remember the gossip that I hear. I'm sure that I could shock you two with a few of the things I know." This was said with a playful wink. A girl came up to the counter and purchased a box of praline chocolate triangles. When Kaori rang her up and sent her on her way with a gigantic grin, she began to clear some plates behind the counter. Light glanced at L through the corner of his eye. He was wondering about his next move in the Kira case, and in the case of what to do about his own life, and Misa's. What would he do about her Eyes and L? It was probably best not to think about it too much...he came here for a break, didn't he?

"So how do you do it?" Light asked, taking a sip of his own drink. It was strong and woke him up, but it was so sinfully sweet. "Figuring out what sweets people might like, I mean? You've learned it?"

Kaori shrugged, turning around and taking another delicate sip. "I don't know," she said. "I didn't learn those kinds of things…they just come to me. My mother isn't great with the customers…she just lets the sweets sell themselves."

"What about your father?" L suddenly asked, looking up. The cake was only half-eaten.

"My father?" asked Kaori, blinking. "Well, they divorced when I was young…got joint custody of me. He's a police officer." Light could tell now that L was very interested. "I don't know much, though. He barely comes around to see me…I think it's because he's shy to be near my mother. I haven't seen him since my last birthday." She shook her head and turned around. "Anyways, how do you like my cake?"

L put the fork down and kept his gaze at her, that same invasive, stoic and questioning gaze. He then took her hand. "It's the most delicious cake I've ever eaten. You must be very skilled. I'm very jealous of the man that has your heart."

"Aww!" she said. "You're very sweet." At that, the bell atop the shop door jingled. It was a woman in her 40's, dressed in a red coat.

"Kaori!" said she. "May I have a word?" Kaori gave a slight bow and an excuse me before walking over to the woman. "My daughter is getting married!"

"How exciting, Mihoshi!" said Kaori.

"She met him in America while studying abroad, and I couldn't think of anybody else to create the perfect wedding cake—I won't take no for an answer!" She said, pulling out a list. "I'll pay whatever you ask and thensome! Now, this is what I had in mind—a layer of your raspberry-mousse cake, followed by…"

"She certainly has a big customer base. She seems dedicated," Light said. "I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but these tarts are so good. The coffee's good too. I might have to make this place my new favorite…" He thought for a moment. L said nothing. "It's kind of a shame, though… She's absolutely brilliant at profiling. Just by looking at you, she can not only deduce what kind of person you are, but what kind of sweets they like."

"Do you think it works in reverse?" L suddenly said.

Light glanced over his shoulder in question at L. "What do you mean?" He thought for a moment. "You mean…by seeing what kind of sweets they like, can she figure out what kind of person they are?" He suddenly laughed. "You're not thinking of asking her what kind of sweets Kira would like, are you?"

"If not you, I'm still %5 sure that Kira is a college student. This is a very large university, and this is the most popular coffee shop and bakery here."

He's trying to get me to crack…? Light wondered. It was agreed on both their parts that Kaori was quite brilliant. However, the thought of finding Kira through sweets just seemed like a desperate shot in the dark. Then again… thought Light. L's profiling has been spot on so far… Why would he make a mistake now?

Once the order with her other customer was completed, Kaori began making rounds again around the bakery, taking new orders and picking up dirty plates. She got a free minute and refilled their coffees. As she was about to ask if they wanted another round of sweets, L asked:

"I take it you deliver?"

Kaori was taken aback, as was Light—for a moment at least—and said "For special events like birthdays and weddings, yes." She wiped her white hands down with a towel. "We have a boy that delivers, but sometimes I drive the truck and make them myself when Mother can watch the bakery."

"I wonder if Kaori-san would consider making a special delivery tomorrow? As a special favor to me?" said L, biting his thumb and looking at her curiously.

"A special delivery?" Kaori asked, scratching the back of her neck in question.

"Your aboullient demeanor has reduced by 65%. I take it is because of your classes?"

"Yes. I have classes all morning tomorrow, but it's alright... I can put in the order for your delivery now. What would you like?" Kaori asked.

"Kaori-san misunderstands. I would you to deliver it personally," said L. He reached into his pocket and carefully unfolded a piece of paper, holding it at the corners. "This is a list of what the delivery would be--since I didn't know about your sesame cake, let's add some of that too."

Kaori looked down. "Wow, this is a big order! Are you having a party?"

"I will make it worth your while. I'll double the bill if you personally deliver it tomorrow afternoon."

She sighed. "Well, if you're willing to put this much effort into my presence, then I suppose I have no choice. But please understand that this is a very large order. And overnight?"

Light knew that L had some kind of alterior motive with this girl. He chimed in "L is addicted to sugar. It's a wonder he's not fat."

Kaori began making a few marks on a piece of paper and tallying things up. "I read somewhere that if you use your brain a lot then you won't get fat. But maybe that's not true. Hmm... I can make all of these, but wouldn't you like to look over our menu a little better? We have some seasonal specials that I think you'd like..."

L put his hand over hers. "Add another 3000 yen worth of special sweets to that bill. Your instincts must be perfect."

"That's a lot of sweets!"

L nodded. "If you're as good as your cakes and sweets are in the reliability department, I will fall for you very easily."

Kaori gave a loud laugh. Light noticed something about her shoulders...they were broad and strong--oddly so for a woman of her stature. It was like she was built for cheery conversation and hard labor all at once. Why would L want her to personally deliver the sweets inside? Especially with little-to-no knowledge of who she was. It was then to be deducted that she knew exactly who she was and intended to use her and her skills for the Kira case. It was also to be deducted that he intended Light to see her, and perhaps also use her skills. She could have just been a trump card, brought in only to confuse him and cause change to his tactics. Then again, would the brilliant L think of something so simple? It was just too easy to be true. Either way, this was something that would not be ignored by him.


End file.
